(Disclaimer: Don't own anything Supernatural related; the following story belongs to me)

Echo.

Chapter Four.

She moved silently through the dense foliage; the leaf-litter that should have been crunching underneath her bare feet was her ally; refusing to give away her position to the abomination that desecrated its unspoilt wilderness. Her hair was pulled back and she wore the calf-skin raiment's requited when on pursuit; her longbow was in one hand the quiver on her back filled with the poison-tipped arrows she needed to effect the kill. The dappled moonlight filtered through the forest canopy and she took the path of shadows; the nocturnal creatures not fearing her presence, but welcoming it; continuing their soft calls, their nightly activities without pause…one of their own was amongst them.

She crept forward; increasing her pace as she heard the soft whimpers ...whimpers that grew louder…whimpers that turned into pleading; pleading for mercy…begging for life. She scanned the area around her; her senses picking up the small nuances for which she'd been trained. The insects were silent; the owl that had been hooting monotonously minutes ago, took silent wing; the few animals that dared move, headed quickly past her and the sweet, coppery tang of blood floated towards her on the warm breeze.

The man's begging increased and she quickly scaled the large ash tree as his begging turned to screams; screams of pure and utter terror. She edged onto the large branch; the bark hard against her feet as she peered into the small clearing. The naked man was on his back, the daggers that had been driven into his palms, pinning him to the earth were coated with blood and flesh…the same flesh that hung in tatters from what remained of his chest.

The beast hovered over him; its red leather wings beating lazily as it reached out a taloned hand, slicing into the man's chest again before raising the talons and cutting its own lips as it sucked greedily at the blood that ran from its claws. She drew the arrow from the quiver, loading the bow and drawing slowly back on the string as she took aim, waiting for the perfect time to strike. There was nothing she could do for the man, that wasn't why she was here. She watched as the hellion drew itself up, readying for the final, fatal blow and she released; the arrow flying straight and true …but the man's eyes had widened as he'd seen the projectile and it was enough to save the beast from a direct hit. The arrow pierced a wing, slicing past a tree, another arrow already on its way before the first had finished its journey.

It turned its hate-filled eyes towards her as it dodged her next arrow; its malevolent shriek echoing through the forest as it hovered possesively over its prey. She drew another arrow as the beast reached down quickly, tearing the head from the man, cutting his scream short as she released another poisoned missile; it missed the body but sliced through a tendon in the creature's wing; making it dip sideways as it partially closed. The shriek that reveberated through the forest was one of pain this time and she smiled as it howled in pain. It opened its jaws wide, the toxic saliva dripping from its teeth and hissing as it hit the earth …and she paused as it looked into her eyes and laughed. A laugh that made her blood run cold as it turned and took flight, fleeing into the darkness with its prize.

She turned in slow motion; removing the dagger from its sheath as she stared into the hideous, hissing features of her nemesis.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sam's heart was beating rapidly, his breathing was laboured, his eyes moving frantically under closed lids as small whimpers escaped through gritted teeth. His sweat-soaked hair whipping about his face as he kicked at his sheets; the nightmare taking control as he tried to fight his way out of it.

He groaned, clenching his hands in the damp sheets as his palms were lit with an agonising pain; he dug his heels into the bed, arching his back as his chest seemed to ignite in long, flaming slashes; searing the skin as he fought to draw breath.

Fear and panic started to stake its claim on him; snaking through his veins and poisoning any clear thought; infecting his reasoning …he was dying; being torn apart by an unseen enemy. He could see nothing but an inky blackness; a darkness so thick, so dense it held a presence all its own; a presence that made him close his minds eye in an effort to escape the cloying, primal fear that filled his every sense. He began to whisper; a rapid rush of words that would be incomprehensible to anyone but their owner; 'nonononononostopstopnononogodnononodean!nononodean!nono'; a whisper that became a pleading mantra for help he knew wasn't coming.

He threw his arms wide; his body lifting off the bed as he threw his head back, biting his tongue as he bit back a scream.

Dean was only partially aware of the battle his brother was fighting in the bed next to his; he could hear the hushed whimpers, the almost silent begging that floated painfully to him but like his brother, he was unable to tear himself from the dream that had taken hold.

It wasn't fear that held him to the vision; it was a deep-seated rage. Unlike Sam, he could see; could see the dark shadows of the trees that formed the forest; see the dappled moonlight and the scurrying night creatures that resided in the woodland. But Sam's pleas were not the only ones he could hear; he moved through the darkness, the begging getting louder as he scaled a large tree and looked into a small clearing. He wanted to roar in rage at what was laid out below him; but he was like a puppet…no, not a puppet...he was being shown this; he was a guest, not a participant.

He tried to contain the fury that consumed him at the gory display below. The man was crucified to the ground; his body nothing but a pulped, bleeding mess as the demon that he'd chased through the forest…well a week from now; slowly tortured its victim, playing with him as it hovered lazily over its prey. He felt adrenalin rush through him and watched as the demon drew itself back to make an attack. He saw a rush of movement and stared as an arrow flew through the air; it would have been a kill-shot if the prone man hadn't alerted the demon to its presence.

The shriek that screamed through the forest burst into him; chilling him to the bone and he watched in horror as the man's head was ripped from his shoulders ...and then he was slowly turning; a premonition coursing through him that was so strong it brought goosebumps to his skin. And he stared into the familiar visage of another demon.

He sat bolt-upright, gritting his teeth as he stifled the yell that was caught in his throat; the insane shriek of the demon still echoing loudly in his ears. He turned to Sam; throwing the sweat-soaked sheets from him as he went to his brother.

"Sam…Sammy…" he whispered; the desire to explore the meaning of his dream over-ridden by the fear of seeing his brother engulfed by the nightmare. He shook Sam's shoulder, gently at first then more vigorously "Sam! Sammy,! Wake up!"

Sam's eyes snapped open and Dean's heart started racing as he saw the deep-seated fear that shone like beacons in his brothers eyes "Easy. Sammy…easy, dude…"

Sam turned his head to the voice; the calming voice he knew; the voice that meant protection and safety. He focussed; sitting up and letting out a shaky breath as he looked into his brother's concerned eyes "Shit"

"Bad one, huh?" asked Dean with a grin; trying to ease his brothers fear and hide his own.

Sam rubbed his hands down his face "Ya think?" and he couldn't stop the shudder than ran through him.

"Nightmare or vision?" Dean asked.

"Not…sure…" said Sam; swinging his long legs out of the bed "I'm gonna shower" and he went to the bathroom, locking the door behind him, not wanting Dean to see what this had done to him. He turned the shower to hot and leaned his hands on the basin and peered into the mirror; his stomach dropping as he saw his ghostly image being eaten up by the steam.

---------------------------------------------

Dean watched his brother closely over the rim of his coffee cup; the dark circles under his eyes were getting darker and his eyes were constantly flicking left and right. His brother was on edge and the way he gripped his coffee cup, the knuckles white; told Dean all he needed to know. Sam was scared

"So you don't remember anything?" asked Dean as he put his cup down; his eyes watching for any 'tell' in Sam's features; the hunt completely forgotten as he stared into the haunted eyes of his baby brother.

Sam shook his head slowly "I couldn't…see anything. It was just blackness …blackness and…pain" he looked at Dean "Like I've never felt before"

Dean shifted in his seat; smiling at the waitress and checking her eyes as she put the plate of pancakes in front of him. Blue eyes. Not her. He turned to Sam as the waitress sashayed away, giving Dean a wink as she left "What kind of pain?" he asked in a hushed tone; for 7am the diner was packed with customers and they'd been lucky to get a booth.

Sam sighed and shook his head "I couldn't explain it to you, Dean" he whispered back; his eyes glazing slightly as the memories tried to push themselves to the surface. He fought them back and looked into his brothers eyes "Chest…palms…shit…everywhere. It was like I was on fire" he said. "I don't know if it was a vision or …nightmare but…" he laughed and Dean tried not to wince as he heard a faint hint of hysteria in it "forget it"

"No…tell me, Sammy"

Sam was quiet for a long time and Dean waited him out; part of him wanting an answer and another part of him screaming that he didn't want one; didn't want to hear the next words that were going to leave his brother's lips.

"It felt like…it was meant to happen" he shook his head "I can't explain it. It was like it was where I was supposed to be and there was nothing I could do to stop it" he took a deep steadying breath as his heart started to beat rapidly again. If he didn't get this under control, and under control fast, he was going to lose it in a big way and he guessed if that happened then he was going to be even more screwed than he figured he already was.

Dean watched Sam; his brother was only just holding it together and if he didn't get him focussed on something other than the nightmare, he was going to crack. He drained his coffee and stood; rolling his shoulder as he threw money on the table "Come on, Sammy"

"You alright?" asked Sam, pointing to Dean's shoulder.

Dean nodded "Just slept on it wrong" he said, ignoring what felt like fire flaring in the muscle. Fire. Both him and Sam with fire-like pain. That couldn't be good. "Now come on, we got work to do. We'll sort this nightmare shit out, trust me" he grinned at Sam "I'll buy you a nightlight when we get back"

Sam rolled his eyes; trying to hide his smile "Get back from where?" he asked as he followed Dean out of the diner.

Dean grinned at his brother as they jogged across the road to the Impala "I feel like getting in touch with nature"

The hunt was back on.

--------------------------------------------------

Sam followed his brother through the woods; Dean hadn't directly answered any of his questions about why they were going to a site that wasn't one of the crime scenes. He'd just said he had a 'hunch' and left it at that. He wasn't in the mood to push him and he hadn't been too worried; Dean's instincts were honed but when he'd pulled the pistol from the small of his back as they'd walked slowly and quietly into the woods…well then he had started to worry.

The temperature had dropped as they'd headed deeper into the woods; but it didn't stop the insects from buzzing noisily about their heads, trying to drink from the sweat that coated them. Sam watched as his brother took a less travelled trail, seeming to know where he was going before veering off the track and edging carefully round trees and walking a path that only he could see. He frowned and followed closely behind.

Dean didn't know how he'd found the part of the forest for which he was searching; it hadn't been part of the week he'd already lived; this was new territory, and new territory meant surprises …and surprises in his line of work usually equalled danger. Danger with a capital 'D'.

He knew where he was going and as he headed off the path and through the dense foliage; his finger was held tight but steady on the trigger of his Sig Sauer 9mm. He smiled when he heard Sam take a tighter hold on the sawn-off; Sammy had seen the change in his demeanour and had reacted as he should have. He was still on his game. Good.

He stopped as he got to the large tree he'd scaled last night; running his hand down the bark as he looked up, finding the branch he last remembered being. He edged around the tree, moving silently into the clearing and expecting to see the headless corpse of the man from his dream; but there was nothing but a large pool of blood and resultant blood spatter on the surrounding trees and bushes to indicate that someone had died there.

"Jesus…" whispered Sam as he circled the clearing cautiously; there was far more blood at this site then at any of the other crime scenes. He looked up at his brother "How'd you know?" he asked.

Dean shrugged "Hunch" as he went back to the tree.

He put the pistol at the small of his back and started to climb; grunting with the effort as he pulled himself higher. Damn, it had been so much easier in his dream. He finally got to the branch and inspected it closely; he found deep, blackened gouges on the underside of the branch, near the trunk of the tree. This was where the demon had been. He avoided those as he edged carefully out onto the branch and took up the same position he'd been in last night; yep, perfect line of sight into the clearing. He turned slowly, his stomach churning as the dream came back to him, but this time there was no demon waiting for him. He gripped the branch and looked underneath….blood; not a lot but it was there.

"Aaah, you alright there Tarzan?"

Dean looked down into Sam's upturned face and returned the grin his brother was giving me "As long as you don't want to be Jane, we'll be fine" said Dean as he swung down from the branch and dropped easily to the forest floor. He crouched, shifting the leaf litter and finding some more drops of blood directly underneath the branch.

"So we have another one" said Sam "And dude, there is way more blood here than at any of the other sites" he paused "This is the kill spot…and I don't think any of the other ones were"

Dean nodded "Yeah, you got that right Sammy" he said as he walked around the clearing, noticing a slice in a nearby tree "Too much blood here for it to be anything but"

Sam crouched at the bloody lake in the middle of the clearing and studied the area around it as Dean pulled the pistol from the small of his back and moved further out. He didn't know where he was going or what he was looking for but he knew there was something here that would give him a clue as to what had happened here last night after he was snapped out of the dream.

He hadn't found anything after five mintures and was about to turn around; not wanting to be too far away from Sam when he spotted some lush green leaves that had red tips. Blood trail. He moved forward, his gun held ready as he followed the intermittent bloodied trail deeper into the forest and further away from his brother. He stepped over a dense thicket and his heart started to race…something was here.

He turned in circles; his eyes scanning the area quickly before slowing and giving each part of the woodland greater attention. He moved towards a large area of brambles, his finger tightening on the trigger as he pushed the thorny vines out of the way with his foot "SAM!" he yelled; crouching as he stared at the remains of the body from last night and quickly pocketing the note that was tucked through a belt loop.

"Jesus Christ…" muttered Sam as he pulled up behind his brother "Where's the rest of him?" he asked as he stared at the bloodied torso. The jagged stumps that had once held head, legs and arms were covered in insects that buzzed in and out of the desecrated flesh. The man had been literally torn apart.

"Got no idea, dude" he lied as he pushed the body with his boot and pulled a wallet from the back pocket of shredded jeans "But we have a name" he committed the details to memory, before wiping his prints from the wallet and returning it to the man's pocket. He stood "Lets go"

Sam grabbed Dean's arm "We can't just leave him here, Dean!"

"We won't, Sammy. We'll make sure he's found but we gotta make sure we aren't. Now come on" he turned, leaving no room for argument as his shoulder flared in pain again.

Sam took one last look at the remains of what had once been a man and shivered as a deep sense of foreboding overtook him. He turned and followed Dean, ignoring the premonistic fear that told him this was his fate.

--------------------------------------------------

She let out a shaky breath; close…so close to being discovered. So close to having all her work undone and failing the calling again. She closed her eyes as she shifted further back into the crevice; one hand held over the gashes to her shoulder, the other pulling the brambles over the small opening. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her healing; he had the note…that was the important thing, she just hoped he understood that history was being rewritten and he had to step carefully. They knew she was here now and they'd be coming for them…all of them.

To be continued…